Major: Biology
John Tolle attended Elgin Community College after high school, but after one year decided it was not for him.
He then transferred to ITT Technical institute and graduated with an Associate in Electronics Engineering. Instead of pursuing his bachelor’s, life took him in another direction. In fact, that direction included a walking trip that crossed half the country.
“Two friends and I decided to take a break from our careers and walked 2,200 miles from St. Charles to San Francisco, CA, to see what the middle of the country was like,” he said. “It was absolutely worth it, even if it was a bit stupid.”
Adult Student Admissions at College of DuPage
In his late 30s, Tolle met his wife and had two children. Although he enjoyed working in IT, he began to feel that he missed out on a proper education. His interest in biology, especially the biology of aging, bloomed.
“I’ve been interested in biology since I was old enough to appreciate the fun of spreading dandelion seeds,” he said. “Aging itself is what rekindled my interest in biology, especially the field of biogerontology, which has recently become a legitimate field of study. I began reading books on the subject in my spare time several years ago, and this ultimately prompted me to consider a big change. To add fuel to the fire, I watched my mother-in-law decline in health due to dementia and my father slowly succumb to a painful death due to lung cancer. Both diseases are usually related to advanced aging, so health improvements around aging could potentially address those diseases and prevent untold suffering along with costs to our society. This, along with my family, inspired me to return to school.”
After reviewing several colleges in the area, Tolle selected College of DuPage for its reputation, convenience and reasonable tuition. It also meant he could continue to work full-time without moving his family and being saddled with student loan debt. He also received a textbook scholarship through the COD Foundation.
Throughout his studies, Tolle enjoyed the classroom rigor and the knowledgeable professors.
“My professors provided fruitful but challenging classes that, in my case, clearly advanced my knowledge in biology and chemistry,” he said. “Professor David Taylor’s Biology II course was excellent, fully renewing my interest in the subject with a professor who clearly cares about the students and knows the material cold. His classes are a treat because he is an excellent speaker and gives crisp presentations while gracefully weaving in answers to student questions.”
My professors provided fruitful but challenging classes that, in my case, clearly advanced my knowledge.
John Tolle
After earning his Associate in Science and being named an outstanding graduate finalist, Tolle will pursue a Bachelor of Science at Elmhurst University, majoring in biology with a career interest in biogerontology. He hopes to achieve a master’s degree in biology or, if it becomes available in the future, in biogerontology.
“A Ph.D. is aspirational, and I would love to shoot for that goal. But this would make it a challenge to give my family the time and attention that they deserve,” he said. “I would love to work with someone like Dr. David Sinclair at Harvard, whose team has made many breakthroughs in studying aging, or Dr. Nir Barzilai at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, whose area of expertise is the genetics of longevity.”
Tolle recommends COD for anyone looking for strong professors and resources.
“Even if you have not decided on COD or biology yet, I highly recommend meeting Professor David Taylor for a quick conversation about biology,” he said. “He is friendly, has a great sense of humor and, best of all, is knowledgeable and passionate about the field of biology. Also, the COD Library is a wonderful resource. Not only can you check out study rooms for blocks of hours and the usual books and such, but even calculators, laptops and anatomy models can be checked out. Additionally, the staff are all friendly and knowledgeable and have helped every one of my classes in how best to research in each subject, from speech to organic chemistry.
“Working full time while raising a family and going to school has been the most challenging process of my life, but much like the crazy walk I did, it is very much worth it! Don't let the boundaries of everyday life fool you.”